Avocado and Tomatillo Salsa

I’m in NYC this week to do a series of videos for About.com all about avocados. The last couple of weeks it has been avocados all the time. I’ve had visions of being buried alive in guacamole.

How ’bout them avocados?

The good news is this creamy green madness has led to some awesome recipes. When choosing which one to share first, this salsa was a quick pick. This may just be my absolute favorite salsa for the summer. It’s smooth, delicious and adds a pretty pop of color and zesty spice to just about anything.

We’ve used this as a dip for tortilla chips and veggies. It also takes our regular old Taco Tuesday nights up a notch to entertaining status. Here’s the video and below is the recipe.

Avocado Tomatillo Salsa

Makes 8.5 ounces

Note: Spice can vary with jalapeños, if you like things spicy look for the jalapeños with dark wrinkles or lines on them —those will spice up your heat level.

3 large tomatillos

1 large jalapeño

1/2 cup cilantro leaves and stems (packed)

1 avocado, peeled and sliced

1 large garlic clove

1 tsp salt

1 tsp lime juice

1/4 cup of water

Place a large pot of water on the stove with a healthy pinch of salt. Remove the husks from the tomatillo and cut a slit in the side of the jalapeño. When the water comes to a boil add the jalapeño and tomatillo and continue to boil for 15 minutes. Tomatillos will turn slightly yellowish and soften. Remove from the water.

When cool enough to touch, cut the stem off the jalapeño and give it a rough chop. Add the tomatillos, jalapeño, cilantro, avocado, garlic, salt, lime juice and water to a blender and blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning and serve.

All salsas are best enjoyed the day that they are first made, but this one can keep in the fridge for up to two days.

This is what the tomatillos and jalapeño look like after they’ve been boiled.

I do this with roasted tomatillos, garlic and jalapenos – sometimes with the Avocado and sometimes with chili peppers. But, I never knew how to pick the hot jalapenos from the mild (boring) ones. Thanks for the tip!